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'Man of Steel' Blu-ray/DVD Review

You've seen the movie. There's loads of special features you'll want to check out.

There's been a lot of talk about Man of Steel. Some people loved it while others are disappointed. What can't be denied is there are some really cool scenes and imagery throughout the movie. The action kicks up and we see some epic fighting.

What is really fascinating about this release is the special features. You get hours and hours of behind-the-scenes features as well as some cool talk about what makes Superman such a great character.

Here's a run down of what's included:

Strong Characters, Legendary Roles (25:59) Zack Snyder, Lawrence Fishburne, Henry Cavill, Kevin Costner, David S. Goyer, Amy Adams, Geoff Johns and others talk about the history of Superman and his appeal to everyone over the years. There's some behind-the-scenes looks while all the actors talk about their characters related to Superman.

It's always great to hear others speak of the importance of the character and the fact that he's thrived for so many years. There's some good insight from the different speakers and hearing their takes is interesting.

All-Out Action (26:02) The training for the physical scenes. They trained their bodies and minds to be ready for each scene. We may not really think about what the actors have to do in order to prepare for movies like this. It's easy for us to get pulled into the special FX and CG work done but they bring up a great point about getting the actors physically and mentally ready for their roles. It's pretty impressive to see what they did.

Krypton Decoded (6:42) Dylan Sprayberry (Clark Kent, age 13) talks about some of the special FX and working with WETA in New Zealand. We see things like how Krypton blew up, the different Kryptonian ships and more.

New Zealand: Home of Middle-Earth (6:35) This was a little strange to be included. Weta worked on some scenes in Man of Steel but this feature is only about The Hobbit.

Planet Krypton (17:18) Talk about the message from Zod to planet Earth and how aliens are perceived. The question is asked, who and what is Superman?

Journey of Discovery, Creating Man of Steel (2:54:05) This was my favorite feature. You can watch the entire movie and at certain points, Zack Snyder or other members of the cast and crew will pop up and point on things you might have missed or weren't aware of. It's sort of like commentary we see in movies except the behind-the-scenes moments, talks and concept art take precedent over the movie. The movie is delegated to either a picture in picture or completely covered up by the commentary. There's even a close look at the glyphs used in the movie and the what they mean.

If you're a fan of commentary on movies, you'll really love this. But again, it's not your typical commentary track placed over the regular movie. You practically see more of the commentary features than you do the movie.

Was Man of Steel the Superman movie we wanted? For some yes, for others no. This release lets you appreciate the technical aspects of the movie. Fans of the movie will enjoy the great look of the Blu-ray format and the opportunity to watch it over and over. Personally, this is a release where I will gravitate towards the special features rather than the actual film (we all have our own preferences). There's a lot to see in this release. It's a good comic book movie. Was it a good Superman movie? We've already discussed that. Chances are you'll want this in your collection with the other Superman releases.

Man of Steel is now available on Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD and HD Digital Download.

Are these the bonus features for the collector's edition as well? I was thinking of buying the collector's edition just because I'm a huge behind the scenes lover for movies but if the collector's edition is just nicer packaging and 3D I'll go for this instead.

My wife bought it for me already: ) She just got the 2-disc DVD combo pack because our Blu-Ray player sucks ass so we stick to DVDs until our current main TV breaks down (it's an old big-screen, pre-HDMI so no Blu-Ray for it).

I originally seeing this movie in the theater I was not a fan. It was not what I was hoping for from a Superman movie. A few weeks ago I downloaded a great copy of the film and have since watched it 2 more times and now am a huge fan of the film.

I just picked up my copy of the Blu-ray today (the Steel Book version) and can't wait to go home and watch all the extra features!

....I'm missing some context here. But whatever, at least this Blu-Ray might motivate more people love MOS.

I'm a big critic of MOS on here and I found it a disappointing film as a huge Superman fan. Hence the comment from Wolverine08 which I have supplied you with its full context. Feel enlightened as a result :P

I liked the movie but I loved the third trailer, sure fooled me into believing this movie would be a Superman movie.

Okay, I don't want to get into a huge debate here. But what part of a flying man, in a red cape, that saves people isn't Superman to you? Say what you will about the actual flick, but it was definitely a Superman movie. Certainly wasn't a Sentry movie.

I liked the movie but I loved the third trailer, sure fooled me into believing this movie would be a Superman movie.

Okay, I don't want to get into a huge debate here. But what part of a flying man, in a red cape, that saves people isn't Superman to you? Say what you will about the actual flick, but it was definitely a Superman movie. Certainly wasn't a Sentry movie.

LOL ... it was cold and heartless, Superman caused the Smallville fight. That is no freaking Superman movie and he doesn't let his father die. I understand that it was about Clark trusting his father, but still doesn't fly with me. He was Superman for a while when he was saving the kids from the bus and all that but the moment he put on that suit it's like he forgot that his Superman. Zach Snyder said it himself "M ws more of a Science fiction/Invasion movie with Superman in it". A Superman movie should be a Superman movie with science fiction aspects not a sci-fi movie with Superman in it. That stupid kiss, Superman wouldn't kiss Lois or stop to hear Zod's speech he would run to uncover survivors and try to help them.

I love Superman the movie, better then the crap that was Man of Steel. Superman the movie had it's flaws but at least it had heart and was a Superman movie. MOS was stupid and pretentious. It had some really nice and cool scenes and that's about it, and at least in the Donner films Superman actually spoke instead of "roaring" like an idiot.

I love Superman the movie, better then the crap that was Man of Steel. Superman the movie had it's flaws but at least it had heart and was a Superman movie. MOS was stupid and pretentious. It had some really nice and cool scenes and that's about it, and at least in the Donner films Superman actually spoke instead of "roaring" like an idiot.

I love Superman the movie, better then the crap that was Man of Steel. Superman the movie had it's flaws but at least it had heart and was a Superman movie. MOS was stupid and pretentious. It had some really nice and cool scenes and that's about it, and at least in the Donner films Superman actually spoke instead of "roaring" like an idiot.

Fantastic film and a heavily-anticipated Blu-Ray release for me! Loved this movie when it came out in theaters and it's been a long wait to have it on disc.

But while I love conversing with the comic book community at large, this "my way or the highway" shtick is starting to get old. I'll entertain genuine criticism about the film itself, but complaining that a film is "not a Superman movie" based on some personal, rigid impression of a character that's been shown in a ridiculous number of interpretations is crazy talk.

I liked the movie but I loved the third trailer, sure fooled me into believing this movie would be a Superman movie.

Okay, I don't want to get into a huge debate here. But what part of a flying man, in a red cape, that saves people isn't Superman to you? Say what you will about the actual flick, but it was definitely a Superman movie. Certainly wasn't a Sentry movie.

LOL ... it was cold and heartless, Superman caused the Smallville fight. That is no freaking Superman movie and he doesn't let his father die. I understand that it was about Clark trusting his father, but still doesn't fly with me. He was Superman for a while when he was saving the kids from the bus and all that but the moment he put on that suit it's like he forgot that his Superman. Zach Snyder said it himself "M ws more of a Science fiction/Invasion movie with Superman in it". A Superman movie should be a Superman movie with science fiction aspects not a sci-fi movie with Superman in it. That stupid kiss, Superman wouldn't kiss Lois or stop to hear Zod's speech he would run to uncover survivors and try to help them.

They have taken Superman from the New 52. He's still young and he has lots to learn and anyway, it would be boring seeing him save survivors the whole movie. People want actions. Have you seen Batman uncover survivors in his recents movie? He barely does it. And I haven't seen that in the Avengers either.

The movie was great. I'd change a few things but it was great. Superman killing Zod isn't impossible. If he has no other choice, he'll do it do save innocents.

So stop with your crap and read the first Action Comics. You'll see a young Superman smacking people's heads inside walls. I doubt they are still alive.

And to everyone who are mad that Superman didn't bring Zod elsewhere to fight, he would never have the chance. Zod was stronger then he was.

Got the Blu-ray movie. Saw it for the first time tonight. I think it's a very good solid movie and quite bit different from all previous movies (in a good way). I am exciting to see what will the director plan to do with Batman and Superman in the next film. Should be good!

@sentryman555: As far as I can tell from a little Googling, the special features are the same across the board. The standard blu-ray is three discs (movie, special features, and DVD) and the 3D and Special Edition are four (movie, 3D movie, special features, and DVD). I think the 3D movie disc only contains the movie in 3D and no extra special features, and the special edition is just packaging.

There are a couple of retailer specific special features though. Target has copies with a book packaging that has an excerpt from the Making of Man of Steel book and an exclusive special feature called "X-Ray Vision." Walmart has a steelbook edition of the movie, but I don't think they have any exclusive special features. I'm not sure if there are any other exclusives elsewhere.

For some reason, my Blu ray player doesn't like regular DVDs, so I returned it yesterday and regressed back to a DVD player. Thus, I won't be getting the blu ray of this, but definitely the two disc DVD.